The One That Wasn't || Loki

Chapter 7: An Embrace of Truth

"It's making you cry every time
You give your love to me this way
Saying you'd wait for me to stay
I know it hurts you"

-

It wasn't long after that short interaction that Cordelia found her way to the gardens where she first met the real Loki. The secret passageway to the kitchens was still accessible from the outer boundaries of the palace, an area under her protection alone so that she could remain faithful to Loki's memory.

None of it seemed to matter now that Loki had cast her aside as someone unimportant.

A part of her refused to believe the new side to him. He looked at her with disdain, something he had never done before. Even when she made him stick by the reality when things got tough between them, he would try to understand her situation. A part of Loki had changed as he fell in love with her over the years, and perhaps, a part of Cordelia had also changed. She learnt to love unconditionally, and maybe that was why it was hurting so much. The more she gave, the more pain she felt.

There were no answers to what had happened in the initiation. There was no known arsenal on the palace grounds that could give needed information to Cordelia or the Chosen. There was no one known around at all, but one thing was notable. Loki did not have Mjolnir with him as he visited the Chosen outside the gates, and Thor wasn't in Asgard at all. If he was really present, he wouldn't have allowed for this to happen. Which meant there was only one member of the royal family she could count on for the truth.

Cordelia was quick to reach the site of Greha, the place she had spent most of her childhood. The tree guided her towards the secret entrance by the sway of its branches and the flight of the falling leaves. For a moment, Cordelia wished she could be trapped in time as a child when all was easy, with Loki by her side.

She walked upon the winding narrow passageway which led her to the door hidden behind the heavy tapestry near the storage. From then on, it was easy to find her way to the place she was meant to find, although she had to fight some guards along the way. All the new faces seemed to underestimate her strength, which was working in her favour.

Right as she had thought about Loki, Cordelia's gaze fell upon the golden drapery worn by the Queen Mother as she tended to the Starfells in the far end of the room. Queen Frigga looked frail, as if she hadn't eaten or slept properly, but this was a tiredness different from that of Loki's. He seemed almost....unnatural.

"Mother...." Cordelia whispered as she slowly cautiously approached Frigga, who turned around with tears in her eyes, her hands clutching a withering black rose.

"Oh! Cordelia!" Frigga walked towards her, embracing her within her warm arms. This was a comfortable feeling for Cordelia, one she had somehow started to rely on over a period of time. Staying in the palace, being with Loki, having been chosen personally by the crown, even the Queen seemed to have shown her preference towards Cordelia.

Frigga cupped Cordelia's face in her hands, looking her over in concern. "How are you here right now?"

"Mother, what is going on? Where is the AllFather?"

That was when the Queen Mother revealed everything that had happened since the day of the initiation ceremony - how Thor had gotten ahold of Mjolnir, how he and Loki had travelled to Jotunheim in a manner to prove their worth to their father, how Odin had banished Thor from Asgard and stripped him off his powers and how Loki had taken to the throne in the meantime. It was no surprise to Cordelia that the AllFather had taken his eternal sleep at this point. That was the plan all along - for him to pass the throne down and then fall asleep rest assured that the kingdom would be safe.

Why had Thor let everything get out of hand? Why was Loki so out of himself?

"He doesn't seem to be fazed by anything. I should have sensed something like this to happen," Frigga spoke. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't aided Loki's pride, perhaps he would not be making such hasty decisions."

"That is not Loki, Mother. You should have seen the way he looked upon me today. I had to put the guards off to sleep. I had to break the promise to my mother that I would never use my magic for harmful purposes, but look at me now. I need to know what happened to Loki during this time. How could he push me out of reach after...." Cordelia's chest was feeling heavy with burden. "He asked me to marry him."

The expression on Frigga's face changed. For the first time in Cordelia's life she saw the Queen Mother searching for the right words to speak.

"You have to be safe," Frigga said. "I shall speak to my son. I will ask him to reconsider his decisions about the Chosen. We need you to keep the city safe. Promise me." She took Cordelia's hands in hers. "Promise me you won't give up on my son. Loki will crumble without you near him."

"He is not himself right now, mother. I want my Loki back too." Cordelia pushed back all her feelings as her training had taught her. She wasn't appointed leader because she was crying in the corner about her loved one casting her aside. She was ruthless and impartial when it came to her missions, and protecting Asgard from whatever Loki was planning was her next task. "You can count on me, mother. I will not let you down."

Frigga was about to kiss the top of Cordelia's head when sounds of clashing filled the hallways all around the garden. Cordelia was immediate to pull out her sword to stand before Frigga, her eyes searching all around for the sign of intruders.

"Queen Mother, go to the AllFather. Do not come out until I find you."

The palace was under attack, and it was Cordelia's duty to protect the royals.